For Steve

RIP Steve Benson

I’m sad. My friend died. My friend, Steve Benson, wasn’t just a great artist or a great cartoonist. He was a certified badass. I’ll explain.

First, if you don’t understand this cartoon, that makes me sad. It makes me sad because you should be aware enough of Steve to know where he stood on religion and the separation of church and state. In fact, some of his last posts on Facebook were about church and state.

Steve was a very conservative political cartoonist and a member of the Mormon hierarchy, as he was the grandson of Ezra Taft Benson, the President of the Mormon Church, who Steve claimed in 1993 was suffering from senility at the age of 93, and said the church was covering it up. Later, Steve left the church and somewhere along the way, started drawing liberal cartoons.

Steve becoming a liberal cartoonist is funny because, as Jack writes, there was a time when he was “personally in your face, 24/7, about how liberals sucked.”

As Steve wandered away from the church, his faith took a hit, and he became an atheist. He didn’t just become an atheist, he became the flag bearer for atheism.

Steve was a great guy, but I can’t say I always enjoyed talking to him.

At first, I did. I recall talking to him when I was a total newbie at this, and he was very supportive when others of his stature would be dismissive.

Years later, after winning some respect, talking to Steve would make me sometimes wanna leap out a window. As I said, Steve was the flag bearer for atheism… and beating dead horses.

At a convention in the late 90s, either in Lexington, Kentucky, or Chattanooga, Tennessee (it’s all a blur), I bumped into Steve while at an airport fast-food restaurant while we were trying to get out of town. And for some reason, Steve wanted to talk about atheism, as if he was trying to convert me…and he wouldn’t stop. I was less than a decade into the business and still intimidated by the guys who came in before me, so I stayed and suffered.

Shortly before Steve had his stroke, we were arguing online. So, the last experience we had together was a fight. I don’t feel bad, though, because that’s how it went with Steve. I could whine and cry, wishing I would more chance to say goodbye to him, but he’d probably turn it into an argument. You could have an argument with Steve, but it never meant much. I never felt it was personal, and I never stopped liking him. I never felt bitterness or held a grudge against him. And what we argued about was funny, at least to me.

Steve made a lot of posts about atheism. He was very anti-religion. I am too, but there’s a difference between our non-belief.

Steve was an atheist, while I consider myself agnostic. Steve campaigned against religion and promoted atheism. He was recruiting, but that’s also what he did when he was a Mormon. Mormons are required to do that. He continued to play the game, he just switched teams.

For me, being agnostic means I don’t believe in God. I don’t believe in the fairy tales from the Bible. I don’t believe in Heaven, Hell, angels, or demons. I think there may have been a Jesus, but I don’t think he’s the son of God or born from a virgin. I don’t believe there is a deity watching over us, scolding us, or even planning to punish or reward us after death. None of that makes sense to me.

But, I don’t know if there’s life after death. Who am I to say there is or there isn’t? I’m certain all the Bible stuff is fake, but I’m not an expert on death. In fact, nobody is an expert on death. You don’t know about death until you die. Maybe we burn out like a lightbulb, or maybe we reincarnate, or maybe we all turn into ghosts. I’m not in a hurry to find out.

I also don’t care if you believe in God or not. I don’t care what religion or church you belong to anymore than I can about who you sleep with. When I tell you I’m agnostic, and I usually don’t, I’m not trying to make you agnostic. I know that it’s hard to convert people, especially after a lifetime of being indoctrinated. I don’t want to waste my time.

One person who knows what happens after death is Steve…unless he’s right, then he doesn’t know because he doesn’t exist anymore. I’m not trying to be harsh. That was his belief. What does exist is his legacy and the love he had for people and the love they have for him.

Here’s a surprise for Christian Nationalists: Atheists have more love than they do. Atheists just don’t do it out of fear. Atheists are kinder, more giving, and a hell of a lot more fun to hang out with.

So, what Steve and I argued over was him turning atheism into a religion. In fact, there is an atheist church, and that’s the Church of Satan. One of the last things I told Steve was that he was “horny for atheism.” He also told me has a Pulitzer Prize, and I do not. My defense was that they don’t give those things to political cartoonists anymore…and then they gave one to Ann Telnaes, ruining my defense.

One thing about arguing with Steve is that he wasn’t afraid to argue. He was not a silent wallflower who’d fade into the background. He stood up for what he believed in. And I know that if he were still here and cartooning, he’d be furious and be drawing about the IRS’s ruling that churches can endorse candidates, and not be punished by losing their tax-exempt status. That pisses me off too. Steve would have raised holy hell over this shit.

I’ve written before about the sketchbook I have other cartoonists draw in. Here’s Steve’s drawing from 1992.

Steve wrote, “Do they elect AAEC directors based on good looks?” I’m still not sure if he was referring to me or himself, or if the caricature is me. Today, I am on the AAEC (Association of American Editorial Cartoonists) Board of Directors, but probably not for my good looks. I think Steve was president of the AAEC at one time.

Creative note: I had five other ideas for this IRS/Church shit, and then I thought more about Steve. I hope he would have liked it.

Music note: I listened to REM.

Drawn in 30 seconds: The reason I’m using this song is because it’s one of the last things Steve posted to Facebook, so I think he liked it.

Timelapse:

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